Your Eyes
by ninjasquirrelss
Summary: What do you have left when the only person who is able to brighten the darkness of your soul is taken from you? My take on the events of The Sorcerer's Stone from Severus Snape's perspective. This is a re-write of an older upload of mine. Please Review!


I'm no JK Rowling, nor do I own any part of Harry Potter. I did take a few liberties regarding the story, but nothing major. I would really appreciate some reviews! Thanks for reading!

_**"Harry didn't know whether he was imagining it or not, but he seemed to keep running into Snape wherever he went. At times, he even wondered whether Snape was following him…"**_  
>-Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, pg 221<p>

Severus Snape stared longingly into emerald eyes from his position at the High Table in the Great Hall. Eleven years of pure agony had led to this day. He tried his hardest to ignore the messy black hair that kept falling into her eyes. He tried to look past the wiry frame of the boy, and the way he held himself just like his father had. It was silly, but he tried to pretend that the lightning scar on his forehead was one of those foolish muggle children's stick-on tattoos and that Lily would still be at home, anxiously waiting for her son to return from school. Even better, that the boy was not related to Lily at all, and she would be anxiously waiting for him to return home from work. That was practically impossible to do when he was forced to stare at those eyes, knowing that Harry Potter could never be half of what his mother was. Yet he had made a promise to Dumbledore, and he intended to keep it. He would protect her son, even if it caused him unbearable pain to even be in the same room as him. It's what Lily would have wanted.

Snape was pulled out of his thoughts as Minerva called out the boy's name. He didn't know why he listened to the many frantic thoughts running through Harry's head as he stepped up to the sorting hat. The most present thought was his hope of not being placed in Slytherin. Snape was glad for this. Perhaps a bit of it was selfishness, not wanting to have to be around him all the time. Mostly though, he did not want Lily's son to be in the same house that bred her murderer. It would be like mocking her memory. He celebrated inside when the sorting hat called out Lily's house and Harry left to join the ranks of the other Gryffindors. He watched as Harry looked up to his table and smiled as Hagrid gave him a thumbs up. The boy didn't even glance in his direction, as if he were invisible.

He turned away in anger as Dumbledore stood to deliver his insane beginning of the year comments. Snape worried about that man sometimes, but Dumbledore could take care of himself. Soon there was food on the table and rambunctious laughter and conversation filled the Hall. Even with all of the adults celebrating the beginning of the term and the children expressing their excitement, he felt dreadfully lonely. Lily was the only one who was ever able to fill the hole in his heart. She wasn't just a pretty face or a great witch with a knack for potions. Lily was the most courageous, caring woman he had ever met, and the fiercest friend he had ever had. She had more love in her heart and passion in her soul then any human being in existence. There was no darkness in his soul that Lily Evans could not eradicate with her brilliant light. Now she was gone forever and no one could, or would even want, to take her place. If it weren't for the promise he made to protect Harry, he wouldn't really have a reason to exist anymore. That's how empty he felt inside. He lived on only because she needed him to.

Professor Quirrell turned to talk to him and Snape sneered with disgust. He could not invade Quirrell's mind like he could with most others (which he assumed was because Quirrell was so afraid of everything that breathed that he blocked him out), but he didn't need to hear his thoughts to know that he couldn't trust him. There was something odd about him, besides his personality. He was also perhaps the single most annoying human on the planet. It was as Quirrell discussed the "terrors" of vampires and his close call and consequent escape from one, that Snape felt eyes upon him. He looked for the source and found himself staring straight into Lily's eyes. The boy gasped and his hand shot to the scar on his forehead. Snape forced himself to remain seated as emerald eyes scrunched up in pain. Instead of showing the concern he felt for the son Lily had loved so much, he painted a sneer on his face. Although it did mask his deeper feelings, the sneer was genuine as well; for he had said he would protect the boy. He never said that he would like him. He hated that he had to care so much. That short second with Lily's eyes trained on him had hurt more than he could have imagined. After assuring himself that the boy was no longer in pain and was not in immediate danger, Snape forced himself to listen to Quirrell's rambling. Before long, the students had been sent to bed and Snape was free to return to his room in peace.

The next month or so passed with little incident, other than Longbottom's cauldron melting incident and the four times that Finnigan blew his eyebrows off. He did learn a lot about Lily's son though. Harry lived up to his idiotic father's smart mouth reputation, but he was also incredibly talented and fiercely loyal to those he cared about, like Lily. He had her passion, and his emerald eyes were filled with the same light that had once brightened the darkest depths of his soul. Still, the half of Harry that belonged to James Potter was too much to bear. He found that if he just treated him like James it was easier to deal with. Every time he was forced to look into those eyes, he replaced memories of Lily's beauty and kindness with memories of James torturing him at Hogwarts. It was the only thing that would help him make it through the next seven years of his life.

As the calendar year began to draw to a close, Snape got a strong feeling that something very bad was about to happen. He had to keep a closer eye on the boy than ever if he was to stay safe. He knew that Quirrell was up to something. He and Dumbledore were both sure of it. They knew what was going to happen too. Quirrell wanted the Sorcerer's Stone. He had been caught sneaking around the third floor far too many times for him to have been "lost" or to have "gotten off on the wrong floor" as he had told those who caught him. Snape had also caught him staring at the boy multiple times, which worried him greatly. With the stone in the castle and the added danger that could place Lily's son in, Snape was extra vigilant. He began to follow Harry in the hallways, careful to avoid being seen by Harry and his two constant companions, Granger and Weasley. He also kept a close eye on Quirrell's movements. This action led him into the corridor itself on Halloween night, and he was bitten by the three-headed dog protecting the stone. The boy, as rude and meddling as his father, had caught him tending to the wound. He was so furious that he had invaded his privacy and seen his pain, his weakness. James always used it to his advantage. The boy didn't say anything though, just turned and ran.

After Quirrell's troll stunt, Snape didn't let the boy out of his sight unless he was in another professor's class, and even then he kept mental tabs on him. Harry continued on with his school year as if nothing was wrong, other than being very wary of Snape and his intentions. It was when the boy was playing seeker in one of the last Quidditch matches of the season that the tables turned. He was speeding through the air, high above the stands in pursuit of the golden snitch. Suddenly his broom jolted and would have launched the boy over the end head first had he not been holding on tightly. The broom then began to jerk back and forth, desperately trying to throw it's confused rider to his death. Snape instantly recognized the curse and began to mutter the counter curse. He didn't take his eyes off of the boy, but he knew exactly who was responsible. He gave it his all, devoting every bit of magic he had to saving Lily's son. It was close. Without Granger's interference, Snape feared that the boy could have been harmed. In the confusion of the fire in the stands, Quirrell lost his concentration and Harry sped off after the snitch, safe in the air again. After that incident, Snape and Dumbledore decided that they needed eyes on the ground to keep Harry safe during the big Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff match, and Snape offered to referee the match, just in case. He didn't think Quirrell would try the same thing again, but he wasn't going to risk it. Thankfully he was right, they had nothing to worry about in the match. Harry inherited another thing from his father. The match was over so quickly that he didn't even have time to penalize the Weasley twins as much as he would have like to. He spat on the ground in disgust as he remembered another similar game in his own time at school. Just like the Weasley twins had just boosted Harry onto their shoulders; James had celebrated with his teammates so many years ago. After the game he decided to confront Quirrell again. It was best to keep him in check, let him know that he knew what he was up to. He instructed the Defense against the Dark Arts professor to meet him in the Forbidden Forest. As he crossed the castle grounds, he felt those eyes upon him again. He walked faster to escape the gaze, trying to stay calm. He just couldn't bear it sometimes.

Quidditch season ended safely, easing the fear Snape had been feeling a tiny bit. His promise was made more difficult though, as Harry and his friends decided that he was responsible for cursing Harry. As if he could harm Lily's son. Harry did not know this though, and so he tried to avoid Snape as much as possible. His friends even practiced spells that could keep Snape from hurting Harry (as if the first years could even come close to the magic it would take to defeat him). Regardless, Snape still kept Harry safe in the hallways, and made Potions class very difficult for him. Later that week Dumbledore told him about Harry's after hours adventure. He had been dealing with Quirrell and had not been there to ensure that Harry was safe. He was so frustrated that after all of his hard work, the boy had put himself in danger unnecessarily when Snape had not been there to protect him. As much as he pleaded, Dumbledore would not allow him to follow Harry while he was in detention. The headmaster trusted Hagrid to watch after the boy. Just before he left Dumbledore's office, he noticed a familiar cloak folded neatly on a chair. The headmaster had left already, saying that he was in great need of some beauty rest. Snape gathered the cloak up in his arms and carried it out the door, Dumbledore would understand. While they were gone, Snape snuck into the boy's dormitory in Gryffindor tower and laid it on Harry's bed. He told himself that he was not encouraging rule-breaking, but that giving him the cloak back might protect him if Snape was ever unable to do it himself. It was a precautionary measure, just in case the need should arise. When Filch told him what happened in the forest later that night, he was fuming. Dumbledore had said that the idiot Hagrid would protect him! Instead he sent him off into the woods with a vile little twit, and the son of a Death Eater at that! If it hadn't been for the centaur, he wasn't sure what he would have done. The boy was safe though, and now he had to focus on what had threatened him in the forest. It didn't fit in with what he and Dumbledore already knew. Why would Quirrell be drinking Unicorn's blood if he was after the stone? It didn't make sense.

When Dumbledore left for the ministry, Snape was admittedly nervous. Especially after Minerva came to him to tell him about the meeting she had with Harry, Granger, and Weasley. Snape was terrified that they were going to do something stupid. He had seen them lurking around one night and warned them of danger, in his own special way, but after that they seemed to have disappeared. He couldn't find them, or even hear them. Snape knew that the time had come. Whatever evil had been stirring the entire year had finally made itself known. He couldn't fail Lily. He sent Dumbledore his patronus, and with a flourish the man returned to Hogwarts. Together they immediately rushed to the third floor. It took them no time at all to get through the protective barriers, passing Granger and an injured Weasley on the way. As they continued on, Snape called upon his patronus once more for Minerva. He didn't want to leave the children alone, especially since the Weasley child was unconscious, but Harry was still in danger. They passed through the final barrier, his own potion riddle, and found Harry fighting off Quirrell singlehandedly. It was who was with, or rather attached to, Quirrell that astonished Snape. Voldemort, protruding from the back of Quirrell's head. It all made sense now, his distrust for the man, the unicorn's blood, everything. Snape feared they might be too late. Harry had collapsed as a weakened Quirrell watched his skin deteriorate. Snape tried not to think about the boy lying unmoving on the ground as he took care of Quirrell once and for all. Harry had done a decent job holding him off; the man was almost finished. Snape wasn't sure how he had done it, although Dumbledore didn't seem surprised. He had immediately rushed to the boy's side, trusting that Snape would ensure all other matters were taken care of. Once satisfied that Harry was alive, he turned to Snape. He felt relief rush over him as the headmaster assured him that Harry would be just fine after some rest. Collapsing to his knees as tears threatened to spill over, he brushed a hand gently across the lightning scar. It was too close. He had almost lost the boy. Dumbledore placed a hand on his shoulder and Snape gathered Lily's son up in his arms. He glanced back at the Mirror of Erised behind him. Lily smiled from behind the glass, as beautiful as he remembered. The reflection of his heart's greatest desire wrapped a slender hand around his own reflection's waist. She whispered to him, and although he heard no sound, he didn't need to. Her message was clear. She was thanking him. It was all he needed. He turned, resolved to his purpose in life. For the first time he found that he couldn't wait until he could see those emerald green eyes again. Every second he spent with those eyes looking up at him meant that he hadn't failed Lily, that her son still had a chance to live the life she died to give him. It was in this moment that he knew that he would die to make that happen for Lily. He would give his life for Harry Potter, the only thing he had left of the only person he had ever loved.

Please review! :)


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